PetroBall Racing has confirmed that 16-year-old Brazilian Enzo Bortoleto will partner Gaetano di Mauro at the team for this year’s BRDC F4 Winter Championship, which takes place in November.

The São Paulo youngster has already tested with the team, and has been present at some recent rounds to evaluate his options and see the championship in action.

Bortoleto competed in the first four races of the South American Formula 4 Championship this year, securing a pole position, and two podium finishes.

He started karting at the age of six, although his first full season came in 2012, when he finished third in the junior category of the Brazilian Kart Championship. In 2013 Bortoleto was among the best 12 racers in the Florida Winter Tour in Rotax Junior and also placed 10th in the Brazilian Championship in the Graduate class, while also racing in the KZ category.

Bortoleto commented: “I’ve spent some time in England to visit the PetroBall Racing facilities and to see some of the racing, and I’ve been very impressed. The structure of the team is very good and the car is nice with a strong engine and a modern paddleshift gearbox. The dashboard on the steering wheel gives a lot of information and the telemetry of the car is really good.

“When I tested the car it behaved very well and it’s great that you can learn car set up in BRDC F4, as it’s very useful for my career development.

“I will race in the Winter Championship to get to know the category and the team. It will be very good and productive for me running alongside my friend Gaetano di Mauro as he already has a lot of experience with the car, which will help me a lot.”

PetroBall Team Principal José Roberto Sabathe commented: “I am really happy to confirm our driver line-up for the Winter Championship. As a team we have progressed very quickly. From starting out at the beginning of the year, we have already taken our first win with Gaetano di Mauro, and I’m sure he can challenge for the Winter Championship title.

“Enzo Bortoleto is a very promising driver who I’m confident can be very competitive in the Winter Championship, and will gain a lot of knowledge from Gaetano’s experience. He will test again at Anglesey before November and I’m very confident that he will join the team for the full 2015 season.”